frypan/frying pan

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Feb 11, 2004, at 12:18 PM, Beverly Flanigan, following up to Larry
Horn, wrote:

> That reminds me: I think I also use "skillet" with "cast-iron";
> otherwise
> it's frying pan.

that's my usage exactly, learned from ann daingerfield zwicky some 44
years ago.  i still have the wonderful (but *heavy*) cast-iron (or
simply iron) skillets handed down through several daingerfield
generations (they fit together to make a dutch oven, even), plus a
smaller one bought and seasoned a mere 20 years ago.  everything else
that's fairly shallow and is used for frying, sauteing, etc. is a
frying pan.  there are no frypans.

ann once (like, 45 years ago) had an electric frying pan, so called by
her, though i *think* its makers thought it was an electric skillet.

this looks like a sofa/couch situation, where people seek to avoid
having full synonyms by specializing one or both items, but different
people do so in different ways.

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)